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Los Angeles, December 15, 2010 Â- Oscar™ nominated screenwriter David Reynolds (FINDING NEMO) has been hired to write an untitled animated feature film based on an original story by animation veteran Stephan Franck (IRON GIANT, DESPICABLE ME) who will also direct. The Gotham Group's Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Peter McHugh and Eric Robinson, and Academy Award® winner Karen Dufilho-Rosen (GERI'S GAME; FOR THE BIRDS) will executive produce. The film is the first in a four picture, first-look deal that Gotham signed with Sony Pictures Animation in 2009.

"We are thrilled and excited to be making a movie at Sony Pictures Animation with Stephan Franck directing and David Reynolds, one of the funniest writers in the business," said Ellen Goldsmith-Vein.

Reynolds' hilarious FINDING NEMO screenplay received Oscar™ and BAFTA nominations and won an Annie Award. His other notible credits include CHICKEN LITTLE, A BUGS LIFE, THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE, MULAN, LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN, ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE, FANTASIA/2000, TARZAN, and TOY STORY 2 & 3.

A veteran animator and writer, French-born Stephan Franck was Supervising Animator on THE IRON GIANT, a key story contributor to DESPICABLE ME, and co-creator (with brother Emmanuel Franck) of the multi-award-winning international hit animated TV series CORNEIL AND BERNIE (Millimages/BBC).

Alexa Amin, vice president of development for Sony Pictures Animation, is overseeing the production for the studio.

About Sony Pictures AnimationSony Pictures Animation produces a variety of animated entertainment for audiences around the world. The studio is following its 2009 worldwide hit, the mouth-watering 3D COMEDY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS, and the 2007 Academy Award® nominated SURF'S UP with a full slate of feature films including the live-action/animation hybrid film THE SMURFS (3D) and the family comedy, HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (3D). The division is also in production with Aardman Animations on their next two feature films, the CG-animated family comedy ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (3D) and the stop-frame animated high-seas adventure, THE PIRATES! (3D). Open Season 3, the third adventure in Sony Pictures Animation's successful OPEN SEASON franchise, is slated for release on DVD and Blu-Ray January 2011. Sony Pictures Animation is an operating unit of Sony Pictures Digital Productions.

About the Gotham Group

The Gotham Group is a multi-faceted management and production company, representing some of the most creative minds in Hollywood. Gotham also produces a host of live-action and animation projects that break barriers and defy convention. Gotham boasts a roster of over 500 top directors, screenwriters, producers, authors, illustrators, and artists, as well as book and comic book publishers and animation studios. Gotham represents more source material from major publishers and comic book companies than any other entity, including but not limited to works from such clients as Bloomsbury/Walker US, Dark Horse Entertainment, Penguin Group, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins (U.S. & UK), Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt, and Com.x.

On the production side, The Gotham Group is producing ABDUCTION for Lionsgate starring Taylor Lautner, Sigourney Weaver and Alfred Molina. John Singleton directs the film, which begins filming in Pittsburgh in July. Gotham is producing WAKE, with Miley Cyrus starring in the film adaptation of Lisa McCann's bestselling young adult paranormal thriller novel for Paramount/MTV Films. Upcoming feature film credits include QUANTUM QUEST, the Large Format, 3D CGI film with voice cast that includes Chris Pine, Samuel L. Jackson and Hayden Christensen; SAVING JULIET at Disney, THE MAZE RUNNER at 20th Century Fox, WICKED at DreamWorks with clients the Borey Brothers adapting; THE DEVIL YOU KNOW adapted by clients Ron Friedman & Steve Bencich with Shawn Levy and 20th Century Fox; STARGIRL for DreamWorks to be directed by Paul Feig, based on the novel by Jerry Spinelli; client Doug TenNapel's graphic novel GHOSTOPOLIS at Disney with Hugh Jackman attached to star, BIG BRAVE BRIAN at CBS Films with Dwayne Johnson attached to star and clients Will McRobb & Chris Viscardi adapting, and THE FAMILY HITCHCOCK at New Regency, written by Jennifer Flacket and Mark Levin and to be published as a book by HarperCollins. Goldsmith-Vein was a producer on the feature film THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES for Paramount/Nickelodeon Movies, based on the best-selling series of fantasy books written by clients, Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black.